Buffalo has always been home to big bands. Of course there was a time when they were all the rage, but as with most things, the decline of Buffalo saw the decline of the big bands. While they never fizzled out, they certainly weren’t top of mind, until more recent times. Today, the big band scene in Buffalo includes acts such as Pete Ciraolo All Star Big Band, Bob Meier and the Hitmen horns, WNY Big Band, The George Scott Big Band, Carol McLaughlin Big Band, WNY Big Band, and Joe Baudo’s Big Band.
I spoke Denise Beehag, singer for Joe Baudo’s Big Band, who told me that she was amazed that there are so many big bands in Buffalo.
“There must be something in the water,” said Denise. “I am aware of at least 7. There are little big bands, and big big bands. In Europe, traditional big bands are still very popular. People get dressed up to attend the performances. In the US, Michael Buble sort of put the style of music back on the map. Big bands can be very diverse – they can play everything from Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power, to the classics. When I was young, I would listen to the old songs by these bands in my grandparents’ basement. Nothing else sounds like a big band – listening to a live performance gives me chills.”
Joe Baudo started his band in 1972 – he had a love for the music and was arranging for the school ensemble where he taught.
I asked Denise how she came to sing for Joe Baudo’s Big Band, and what she told me struck me as very funny.
“It was shortly before covid hit that I wound up at The Sportsmens Tavern for a Leadership Buffalo lunch,” she said. “There was a jazz quartet playing, led by Joe Baudo. During the intermission, I was joking around, telling one of the musicians that I was a singer. When Joe got back from the break, the musician said that I was a singer, and Joe asked me up on stage during the second act. Before I knew it I was singing for a 17-piece band [laughing].”
Denise told me that she always dreamed of having an opportunity of this nature, but just kept on putting it off. “I hadn’t been singing since high school,” she said. “When I turned 50 I thought to myself, ‘What am I waiting for?’ I had no intention of asking to get up on stage on that day. It was an ‘in the moment’ lesson. Take the opportunities, and risk being embarrassed, or you will never know what happens. I’ve been with the band for three years now (2 during covid), and I’m in a duo with Joe (on keyboards) as well.”
Denise first got the bug for the classics when she 12 years old – she happened to see Frank Sinatra perform. “I waited in line for 7 hours with my family. I didn’t want to be there. I was miserable,” laughed Denise. “But when I saw the concert, I knew that Sinatra was something special. This is timeless music. It’s also a dying art for the most part, which is why we’re so lucky to have so much of it in Buffalo. When I see the eyes light up from the older generation, they are reliving their heyday. And when young people hear it, they love it. We’re talking about major Buffalo musicians who have played with some of the best in the business. Joe has played with Louis Prima, Dizzy Gillespie, Smokey Robinson, Wayne Newton, and Frankie Avalon. Currently, he plays keyboards in two other big bands – a lot of the musicians go from band to band. Most of Joe’s players in the Big Band have been with him for 40 years!”
When I think of big bands, my mind wanders back to the golden days of Buffalo, when their were supper clubs and concert halls left and right. I suppose I wasn’t aware that Buffalo still has, to this day, such a prolific big band culture.
“That’s why we need to support them,” Denise told me. “They aren’t just musicians, they’re teachers of the next generation of Buffalo musicians. They are carrying on the legacy of the standards and the classics.”
Supporting the big bands? Well, that’s easy. One way to do that is to head out to see a show. And guess what? You’re in luck!
Joe Baudo’s Big Band plays Valentine’s Day Dance and Music
Old romance and love songs, with some twists
Tunes like… At Last, songs by Sinatra, Sway (made popular by Buble), How Sweet It Is…, Almost Like Being In Love, Blue Moon… and fun tunes like Come Fly With Me!
Monday, February 14, 2022 | 7pm – 9:30pm
$10 at the door
@ The Cave | 71 Military Road (Owned by The Sportsmens Tavern) | 71 Military, Buffalo, NY 14207 | (716) 310-2020
Get connected: www.facebook.com/JoeBaudosbigband